JONATHAN COATES fears Monday's FAW Premier Cup final against arch-rivals Cardiff City will mark the end of his nine-year career at Swansea City.

JONATHAN COATES fears Monday's FAW Premier Cup final against arch-rivals Cardiff City will mark the end of his nine-year career at Swansea City.

The 26-year-old midfielder - one of 11 remaining out-of-contract players at the Third Division club - has not been offered a new deal and is resigned to being shown the door after Swansea tackle the Bluebirds at Ninian Park.

Coates, who joined the Swans in 1993 as a trainee, said it would be a "massive wrench" to leave his home-town club, but admitted he had let himself down and didn't deserve to stay at the Vetch.

"I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I'm not going to get a new contract," said the Swansea-born player. "It will be sad to leave. I've lived in the city all my life and been with the club since I was a schoolboy.

"But there's no point pretending I've done enough to earn a new contract. I could have done a lot more to persuade the manager to keep me on, particularly in the last 10 games of the season.

"I knew it was either a case of impressing the Swansea manager to earn a new contract or impress anyone watching from another club. But I let myself down. I can't think of one game where I played well for 90 minutes." Coates was signed by Frank Burrows and became one of the club's most promising youngsters, playing some of his best football during Jan Molby's 18-month spell in charge from 1996-97.

The former Wales Under-21 international played a major part in Swansea's surge into the Division Three play-off final in 1997 - a game which ended in heartache when Northampton Town snatched an injury-time goal to win 1-0.

Coates played another key role in Swansea's race to the Division Three championship under John Hollins's stewardship in 2000.

But lately the midfielder, who has made more than 200 league appearances, has struggled to maintain the form which once earned him a handful of call-ups into the senior Wales squad.

"In hindsight, it would have been better to move on a couple of seasons ago when I was doing well," said Coates. "Now, instead of leaving of my own accord, I'm effectively being pushed out the door.

"But the fact is the last two seasons have been my worst ever.

"I came back from injury at the end of last season and the club got relegated.

"Before this season started, I had high expectations for myself and the club, but I didn't progress.

"I couldn't find any consistency. And for the club it has been an awful year.

"I'm expecting to receive the bad news after we play Cardiff. I'll be disappointed when I'm told I'm not wanted, but that's football for you. I've seen it happen to so many people at the club.

"Looking on the positive side, maybe it's time for a change. I've been here a long time. My wife and I have often spoken about starting afresh and having a new experience somewhere else."

Coates will not be the only player enjoying a Swans-song at Ninian Park on Monday. Ryan Casey, Steve Brodie, Mamady Sidibe, Craig Draper, Stephen Healey, Chris O'Sullivan and either Chris Todd or Neil Sharp are expected to follow Coates through the Vetch Field exit door.

"Monday will be an emotional occasion for quite a few of us," said Coates. "It's a nice game to finish on and let's hope we can beat Cardiff. Their disappointment in the play-offs might just mean this is the best time to play them.

"Everybody at Ninian Park will still be disappointed and we're expecting a backlash from that. We might catch them on the back foot."